Safety boot binding for skis



Sept. 22, 1970 G. P. J. SALOMON 3,529,844

SAFETY BOOT BINDING FOR SKIS Filed Feb. 14, 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet l In venfor GEOYQQS Harm Joseph SALOMON BX QM EET p 1970 e. P J. SALOMON 3,529,844

SAFETY BOOT BINDINGfFOR SKIS Filed Feb. 14. 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1mm nfor' Georges x evre Joseph SALOMON By Z q MT Sept. 22, 1970 G. P. J. SALOMON 3,529,844

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SAFETY BOOT BINDING FOR SKIS File l f 1968 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 9

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Inventor Georges Pu'erreJ sephSnmm United States Patent 3,529,844 SAFETY BOOT BINDING FOR SKIS Georges P. .I. Salomon, 34 de Loverchy Ave., Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France Filed Feb. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 705,554 Claims priority, application France, Sept. 5, 1967, 120,065 Int. Cl. A63c 9/084 US. Cl. 28011.35 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present invention concerns a safety binding for securing a boot on a ski, in which an elastic element is made part of the kinematic transmission chain between the safety locking mechanism and the boot retaining element, whereby the latter is capable of a certain elastic play before release under the action of abnormal forces exerted by the boot on the boot retaining element.

The present invention relates to a safety binding for securing a boot on a ski.

Known safety bindings of the character described release the boot in an abrupt and fast manner. This arrangement has the disadvantage of not absorbing forces which are not yet dangerous for the user, causing abrupt boot release and the fall of the user.

The general object of the invention is to obviate the above-mentioned disadvantage in a simple and efiicient manner.

In accordance with the invention, an elastic element is interposed in the kinematic transmission chain between the boot retaining element and the safety locking mechanism, whereby abnormal forces exerted by the users boot on the boot retaining element will cause said boot retaining element to effect a certain elastic movement before the safety locking mechanism is constrained to completely release the boot retaining element.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the safety locking mechanism and the kinematic transmission chain consist of a spring element acting on a lever on which a roller carrying lever is oscillatably mounted, the roller engaging a corresponding notch in the boot retaining element, a spring element being disposed between said two levers.

The present invention will be more clearly understood by referring to the following description and to the annexed drawings showing various embodiments in a nonlimitative manner.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a safety boot binding for skis in accordance with a first embodiment, in closed position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing the binding in partially open position;

FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are longitudinal sections of various embodiments of the invention in closed position; and

FIG. is a longitudinal section of the safety binding in accordance with FIG. 9, in partially open position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like elements throughout, in FIG. 1 the users boot 1 is secured on a ski 2 by means of a jaw 3 pivoted on a pivot 6 of a housing 7 of the binding in accordance with the invention.

An arm 8 is also pivoted in pivot 6 and a coil spring 9 is interposed between flange 3' of jaw 3 and flange 8' of arm 8. Therefore, when jaw 3 is urged upwardly by the users boot 1, as shown in FIG. 2, it will first cause compression of spring 9 and then cause upward pivoting 'ice of arm 8, which can then be released from the safety locking mechanism.

This safety locking mechanism comprises a piston 10 pushed by a compression coil spring 11, the pressure of which can be adjusted by a screw 12 threaded in housing 7.

Spring-pressed piston 10 bears against a lever 17 pivoted in housing 7 at 17' and carrying a roller 16 engageable with a notch 8" of arm 8. Moreover, arm 8, when pivoting upwardly, also causes upward pivotal movement of a treadle 19, which is pivoted to housing 7 at 20, said treadle being engaged by a stud 18 carried by arm 8 and protruding from housing 7 to be engaged by the bottom face of the users boot. Thus, after release of the safety binding treadle 19 enables re-cocking of the binding by simple downward pressure of the heel of the users boot 1.

Preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, a stud 21 limits the pivotal movement of arm 8 relative to jaw 3.

In FIG. 3, a boot retaining jaw is pivoted at 30 in housing 29 and its lower end is attached to a piston rod of a piston 31 adapted to compress a compression spring 32 within a slide element 33, which is slidably mounted in guideways 34 of the base plate of housing 29.

When the jaw 30 is caused to move upwardly, the spring 32 is compressed until the head 35 of the piston rod abuts the slide element 33 which is caused to move towards boot 1, thereby forcing the release of a ball typ safety locking mechanism which comprises a cap screw 37 adjustably screwed in housing 29 and pressing by means of a coil spring 38 a ball 36, so that the latter will normally engage a notch 33' in slide element 33.

In FIG. 4, the elastic element consists of a tension spring 40 interconnecting a boot retaining jaw 41 and a crank arm 42, said jaw and crank arm being both pivoted on a pivot 43 mounted in housing 39. The jaw 41, beyond a predetermined upward pivotal movement, will cause rotation of crank arm 42 by the arm portion 44 of the jaw 41 abutting crank arm 42, thereby causing release of the spring-pressed ball 45 from out of the notch 43 0f the crank arm 42.

The spring-pressed ball 45 is adjustable by means of the screw 46 threaded in housing 39 and locked in position by lock nut 47.

The embodiment of FIG. 5 is differentiated from the embodiment of FIG. 4 in that the elastic element connecting the jaw 50 to the crank arm 51, which in turn is under the action of the spring-pressed adjustable ball lock 52, is a spring blade 53 secured to the crank arm 51 and pressing on the jaw 50.

An abutment 54 which is integral with crank arm 51, will abut the jaw 50 during upward movement of said jaw only after the spring blade 53 has been fully stressed.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, two compression coil springs and 61 are mounted in parallel, the first and weaker one surrounding the second and assuring the elastic pivotal movement of a jaw 62, the second stronger spring 61 urging the locking ball 63 against a ramp 64 of the jaw 62, said ball releasing the jaw only when the rim 65 of the slidable sleeve 66 enclosing the safety locking mechanism, abuts against face 67 of the clamp housmg.

In FIG. 7, a rubber-like block 70 is inserted between jaw 71 for retaining a users boot 1 and a cam 72 receiving the locking action of the spring-pressed adjustable ball lock mechanism 73, the jaw and the cam being pivotally mounted on a common shaft 74. Moreover, an abutment 75 of the cam 72 serves to transmit the forces exerted by the users boot to the locking mechanism while preventing complete compression of the rubber-like block 70.

In FIG. 8, the locking mechanism is a piston spring pressed against a flat of a shaft 81, the latter being connected to a boot retaining jaw 82 by the interposition of a rubber bushing 83 of the silent block type, which enables a slight angular elastic movement between the jaw and the shaft.

In FIGS. 9 and 10, the boot 1 is secured on the ski 2 by means of a jaw, or boot retaining element 90, pivoted on a shaft 91 of the housing 92, itself secured on top of the ski by means of screws, not shown, on the drawing.

The jaw 90 is locked in a boot retaining position by means of a compression coil spring 93, the compression of which is adjusted by a cap screw 96 screwed in the housing 92. The coil spring 93 bears against a main lever 97 pivotally mounted on a shaft 98 secured to the housmg.

On the main lever 97 can oscillate a second lever 99 carrying at its free end a locking roller 100 adapted to engage a notch 101 of the jaw 90.

A compression coil spring 102 is disposed between the lever 99 and the reversing lever 97. When abnormal stresses are exerted by the users boot, the latter tries to open the clamp, as shown by arrow 103 (see FIG. the jaw 90 will first cause roller 100 and lever 99 to move against the action of spring 102.

If the forces exerted by the boot which have caused the above movement cease, the jaw 90 is resiliently returned in its original position by means of spring 102, If, on the contrary, the forces continue and exceed a predetermined value considered as dangerous, roller 100 will engage against portion 106 of main lever 97 The latter is thus forced to pivot rearwardly, because the end of the notch 101 now engages the roller 100; but the rearward pivotal movement of the reversing lever is resisted by the action of the locking spring 93. Once this spring force is overcome, the jaw will completely open, the roller 100 rotating on portion 107 of the jaw, said portion 107 being concentric with shaft 91.

For re-cocking the binding, the users boot heel is pressed down on the extension 108 of the jaw 90 and closes the latter. The roller 100 urged by springs 93 and 102 will return to its locking position in engagement with notch 101 of the jaw.

What I claim is:

1. A safety boot binding for skis comprising a support adapted to be fixed to a ski, a boot retaining member and an intermediate arm pivotally mounted on said support, each for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis disposed transversely of the ski, first spring means resiliently retaining said intermediate arm in a predetermined position until a torque exerted on said intermediate arm reaches a maximum and releasing said intermediate arm for pivoting movement out of said predetermined position upon said torque exceeding said maximum, and second spring means acting on said boot retaining member and on said intermediate arm and urging, when said intermediate arm is in said predetermined position, downward pivoting of said boot retaining member into a closed position to retain a boot on the ski, said second spring means stressed by opening movement of said boot retaining member, while said intermediate arm is held in said predetermined position, until a force is transmitted from said boot retaining member to said intermediate arm, which produces a torque on said intermediate arm in excess of said maximum, causing rotation of said intermediate arm and allowing further opening movement of said boot retaining member.

2. A safety boot binding as claimed in claim 1, wherein said boot-retaining member and said intermediate arm are pivoted on a common axis, extend forwardly of the same and have superposed spaced lower and upper flanges respectively, said second spring means being a compression coil spring disposed between and bearing against said flanges and means to limit the downward pivoting of said boot-retaining member.

3. A safety boot binding as claimed in claim 2, wherein said last-named means include a stop carried by said bootretaining member and abutting said intermediate arm in the closed position of said boot-retaining member.

4. A safety boot binding as claimed in claim 1, further including a recocking treadle pivoted on said support and protruding therefrom to engage under a boot heel and having an intermediate portion engaged with said intermediate arm, whereby pivotal movement of said intermediate arm out of its predetermined position, causes upward pivoting of said treadle and a downward force exerted on said treadle causes return of said intermediate arm to its predetermined position.

5. A safety boot binding as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first spring means include a lever pivoted on said support, a roller carried by the free end of said lever and engageable with a notch of said intermediate arm, and a spring-pressed piston carried by said support and engaging said lever to urge said roller into said notch to maintain said intermediate arm in its predetermined position.

6. A safety boot binding as claimed in claim 1, wherein said boot-retaining member and said intermediate arm are pivoted on a common axis and further including mutually inter-engageable abutment surface portions on said bootretaining member and said intermediate arm respectively, radially spaced from said common pivotal axis and mutually engaged at a predetermined stage of opening movement of said boot-retaining member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,823,922 2/ 1958 Berlenbach. 2,867,447 1/ 1959 Mueller. 3,326,568 6/ 1967 Salomon.

FOREIGN PATENTS 268,301 2/1964 Australia. Ad. 55,685 9/1952 France. 1,440,444 4/ 1966 France.

LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner J. A. PEKAR, Assistant Examiner 

